“I know, I know. You say that now, but.. I highly doubt what’shisname was going to let me experience the utterly blissful married life duty of helping you clean baby puke out of your hair. Are you sure that we don’t need to get an exorcist? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it go that high with that much force before..”
A brief cringey pause and Blaine tried to find his happy place all over again.
“It was like a fire hydrant of gross went off inside our daughter and somehow managed to hit you. Solely. With skill. You sure she isn’t mad at you? I think that might’ve been on purpose.”
The tip of his navy blue boat shoe tapped against the leg of a wrought iron bench framed by two bright red rose bushes carefully tended to so that the buds just now beginning to coil up through leaves of green were so vibrant they almost matched the crimson color of his chinos. Their delicate smell made Blaine smile. Fresh cut grass, earth and roses was so much better than burnt wood, ash, a knot in his throat and tears in his eyes. Coming home for this occasion? As bittersweet as it was? God, he was glad they did.
Standing in the garden that alumni like himself and his former Warbler brothers built in honor of the school that was as part of them and as essential to what made them who they were as their veins, blood and bones did–Blaine let his hazel gaze wander over the paths with their trellises, gazebos and fountains. The scene was beautiful, serene. Like a monument to the memories and lives they made and changed as years went by. So much of himself started here. His coming into who he was, meeting people who believed in him in ways no one ever had before, where he met Kurt and his future began to cement it’s foundation without him even realizing it.
Blaine loved Dalton, what it represented not just to him but his friends who all had their own stories to tell about how the school changed their lives. Even began new ones. Their daughter wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for a winding staircase and a boy doing his best to blend and not pulling it off one bit. His heart began to soar when his gaze fixed itself on the starkly contrasting pieces of heavy machinery on the very edge of the lawn he’d been wandering down, hands in his pockets and feet carrying him perfectly through imaginary halls even if he had to jump a bush or two to stay on course.
The garden would soon be gone but pieces of it would last. It didn’t matter… Dalton was coming back.
Standing precisely on the spot he knew deep down (because he’d never forget an inch of the halls he cherished) was where he wanted to be, Blaine felt the warm press of a palm against the back of his hand.
“The next time we come back here.. I wonder what it’ll look like. Breaking ground in two days. Trent’s designing it. How weird is that?”
His husband’s shadow blocked out the sun only a enough to catch his attention further. Kurt’s eyes were reddened (so were his) but their smiles were ear to ear. “This is where we—-. You wouldn’t believe how long I stood in the hallway telling myself I could do it..,” he confessed while nodding towards the hallway that existed only in their mind’s eye.
“I love you.” The kiss was real. His hand pulled free and wrapped both arms around Kurt’s shoulders, heels lifting so he could press their lips together. Buildings could burn, gardens would bloom and wither and new walls could come out of the ground and crumble all over again. What wouldn’t change? Was them and what they had after it began RIGHT HERE.
( sms : blaine ) I definitely wouldn’t rule out the possibility. ( sms : blaine ) Did you tell her about the elves, too? ( sms : blaine ) Oh, God. Please tell me you did not expose poor innocent Rudolph.
( mssg » kurt | sent ) But she’s tiny and has a ten second attention span most of the time. Do you really think she will?? ( mssg » kurt | sent ) No… I didn’t give up the elves! Or Rudolph! ( mssg » kurt | sent ) What if it’s a chain effect though? What if I put one seed of doubt in her head and it turns into a whole…tree of ‘I can never trust my Daddy again’??
( SMS : BLAINE ) Are you positive? ( SMS : BLAINE ) Because I literallyJUST picked us up a Santa in the shape of one Burt Hummel at the airport. ( SMS : BLAINE ) You had one job, Blaine. ( SMS : BLAINE ) I can’t believe you already spoiled her beliefs before so much as her second Christmas.
( mssg » kurt | sent ) I’m pretty positive I let it slip. I’m not repeating the wording because that’ll make it even worse. I told her I was only kidding!
( mssg » kurt | sent ) I know you did! That was part of why I said what I said! ( mssg » kurt | sent ) One job that I messed up! Please don’t tell Burt.. Please? ( mssg » kurt | sent ) Do you think she’ll remember? Am I going to be responsible for her needing therapy? I’m a horrible Dad.
An all-too knowing smile was quick to grace the man’s features as he allowed another array of laughter to fall sweetly from his lips, happily watching Blaine reacquaint himself with their shiny newborn and gaze scarcely torn away as he further relaxed himself into the pillows. ❛ Something tells me Jesse’s probably already pretty much being coerced into trying out for the next one, ❜ Kurt teased, the much too lively image of his best friend / former roommate turned baby mama’s overly dramatic goodbyes still very much on the back of his mind as Blaine subtly reminded him of the going-ons of their earlier departure from the hospital.Witnessing the miracle of childbirth, as gruesome and not pretty the experience had been, and as crazy and annoying as Rachel sometimes was, had somehow gained him an entirely new perspective and deeper level of appreciation. Words of gratitude never quite possibly enough for the incredible, precious gift she, without so much a second of hesitation or a tiny twinge of regret, had irrevocably given them.
❛ I really don’t think I can do it, either. ❜ Fingertips traced gently along the soft fabric still securely wrapped around Hepburn’s tiny physique before his eyes once again caught hold of his husband’s, teeth sinking down his bottom lip in a feeble attempt to stop the giggle that inevitably followed. She looked so comfortable. They really were a hopeless bunch. ❛ I suppose we could do our twice daily recount of her fingers and toes. ❜
“Probably. But I don’t think he’s going to need that much convincing..”
Just as he felt like his heart couldn’t fill any further with love, love, love and more love, Blaine felt his eyes start to sting with what was bound to become another round of tears to be shed. Kurt’s voice drew his attention from the tiny set of cupid’s bow lips glistening in the dim light of their bedroom as Hepburn breathed in and out and Blaine thought there was never such a fascinatingly beautiful sight. The closest runner up would be the look on his husband’s face the moment their daughter first met his gaze and they saw each other for the first time. He thought he understood what love and devotion meant because of Kurt. But..even if he couldn’t put this feeling to words? Nothing compared to the level of it running through his soul as it was tonight with their daughter and his husband on the very dawning of their lives as a family. “Kurt,” his voice was pitched. Not very steady. One word and the tone was enough to say ‘i need you’. His hand began to shake as he reached over to blindly sink his fingers into the long length of Kurt’s that he knew right where to find without having to look. Magnets. Always. Their hands could find each other in the pitch black. Because that’s how soulmates work, is it not? Contact made and he squeezed tight, trying to express how much he was feeling because words weren’t enough anymore.
One again, his gaze travelled up to meet Kurt’s and his giggle had Blaine bursting at the seams. His smile went wide enough to show his teeth and his owlish stare was broken as his eyes rolled towards the ceiling. Caving instantly, he carefully tugged Kurt’s hand up close enough to press a kiss to his fingers. “Fine. You can go first, but I claim dibs on the recount..” A brief pause that lasted through another kiss and his lips lingered close enough to touch Kurt’s skin with every word that followed next. “I used to think I couldn’t love you more than I already did. I was wrong.. Because I don’t know what to even call what I’m feeling right now. Does that make any sense? I just..really love you. Okay?”
❛ I love you, too. ❜ Joy swirled through Kurt’s insides at the sight of little baby Hepburn grabbing hold of her own tiny knuckles and sucking on them lightly, the corners of his mouth easily mirroring Blaine’s as his husband’s kiss lingered. He felt genuinely happy. Content. Like suddenly all was right with the world — just like in one of those old iconic Hollywood movies portrayed by the actress they so happened to name their little girl after. Nine months, though they had sometimes felt incredibly long, couldn’t have prepared him for the new, thrilling experience of being a father. Getting to share all of this with Blaine, just made everything even better;the fact Kurt deemed himself 99.9% positive he had caught a glimpse of his husband’s hues in the small infant’s brand new eyes easily allowing the butterflies in his stomach to do a significant overturn as he simply couldn’t keep himself from staring at the beautiful creature now very much an unwavering and most adorable presence in their already love-filled lives.
❛ I guess it’s kind of hard not to, ❜ he chuckled; changing diapers and the distinctive stench that came along with it definitely far from undeniable despite taking turns at performing the task at hand with nothing but undying love and adoration. ❛ I’m just glad we actively managed to pry her away from auntie Rachel. ❜
Inching down lower on the bed until he was nose to forehead with the tiny girl of his dreams, Blaine’s hand reached over to lace his fingers through Kurt’s. Holding on for dear life as he inhaled the powdery smell of new hair and skin and perfection–his eyes drifted shut as he just let his soul drink in the moment. He laughed quietly remembering the hard pout and burrowed set of brows Rachel gave them before they carried their daughter home. Rachel was adorable and Blaine was every bit the frantic, lip chewing father as he double triple checked if she was okay before doing it again via a phone call right before bed. Even Jesse made a comment he had some serious competition when it came to doting on her. Blaine’s love for Rachel ran deep before they went on this journey together. Now? The connection the three had? It’d be unbreakable for a lifetime. Mental note to call her first thing in the morning. Just to see if she was feeling okay. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rachel’s bottom lip jut out that far. Even in her worst pouting moments. That expression took the cake. How do you think she’s doing?”
Hepburn’s lashes fluttered and he made sure to drop his voice but even the smallest movement made his heart melt. He couldn’t refrain from ghosting his lips across their lengths. Her breath touched his mouth and his heart melted. Oh, he was sunk for her and the man lying beside them. “We should probably put her in her crib. I don’t know if I can do it..” Aka. Help me help us have a snuggling moment because there was no way he had the willpower to do it.
Lips permanently curved and a severe sense of pride rapidly welling up inside of him, a small chuckle escaped the older male’s lips as he finally made himself comfortable; occasionally casting a glance toward his adoring husband before blue green eyes once again settled on their small bundle of joy now lying sound asleep on the bed next to them. She was perfect. The name Hepburn often discussed during their late night post-Broadway stage babyname debates yet somehow even more perfect now that she was officially the one to answer to it. A sight of which Kurt was positive he’d never find himself grow tired of; any earlier marital squabbles beyond forgotten and inching significantly closer to Blaine as he finally nuzzled their noses together.
“Happy anniversary, daddy,” lips teased, going in for a haste, gentle kiss and features positively radiant after shooting a brief and subtle glance towards the alarm clock sitting on their nightstand as it indicated having just turned midnight. No matter how many anniversaries they had shared together in the past, their first with less-than-a-day-old little Hepburn was no doubt bound to be one even more special.
Blaine couldn’t take his eyes off the top of a tiny head covered in so many dark, spiky will-someday-be-crazy-out-of-control little curls. His thumb traced back and forth across velvet skin and he had no shame in the tears in his eyes as he tucked his head down to smell his new favorite scent. The ghost of Kurt’s cologne lingering on his skin, meticulously picked baby detergent, powder and someone brand new laying between him and his husband. THEIR someone brand new. If there was ever a moment where he’d looked at Kurt throughout their years together and thought ‘I couldn’t ever possibly love someone more’, he meant it every time but had no idea how wrong he was. Because right here? Right now? Between the two of them? Blaine’s heart was filled to the brim and bursting with absolutely the most love he’s ever known and will ever discover. How did something like this feel? Wonderful? Overwhelming? No, not any of those. There were no words. Not really. Whole. Whole was as close as he got.
His family. His future. His life and soul. All here within arm’s reach and they were fathers together. “Happy Anniversary, daddy,” he repeated back with just a little taunt in return. Kurt’s quick and gentle kiss was returned with one that lingered and curved into a bright smile against his mouth. Blaine couldn’t seem to lose the way it stretched from ear to ear. “I love you so much, Kurt. Look at her. She’s ours. She’s perfect. Our daughter. Can you believe it?”
pianokeysandbowties back up 